Electric battery for clocks



Feb. 8 1927. Y

- B. NEWTH ET AL ELECTRIC BATTERY FCR CLOCKS Filed June 4. `1925 2 sheets-sheet 1l Feb. 8 1927.

vB. NEWTH ET AL ELECTRIC BATTERY FOR CLOCKS Filed June 4, 1925 2 sheets-'sheet 2 f v vide'improvements in dry batteries ot the 'Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

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BAsIL NEWTH' AND o'cfiiivrii NEWTH, onsicnivn, NEW;sourirY WALEaAUsTRALIA.,

ELECTRIC BATTERY FOR VCLOCKS'.

i Applicaton-lerjJune 4, 1925,v Sera'lfNo. 34,1349;anfn Australia-July-Z1924 lThese improvements referto dry batteries required for the ymaintenance of the movement in self-contained? electric clockswith or Without associated mechanism inclusive suchI asf'forjtelling the hours on a gong; exhibiting dates,- ringing anl alarm atsettimes, and the like; Y

More specifically, these improvementsrelate to batteries required for electric clocks` inivhich the'movemen't is synchronized by a spring-held4 balance, rather than a swinging pendulum, which* time pieces are portable as theyv keeputime in all positions and While being' moved-aiid"`during sustainedJ movenient, such` for instance as aboard? ship;V

And to l batteries required for electric alarmsl in portablel clocks'.

Ordinarily balance-timed portable clockmovements'," with' WhateverV alarmv or striking' or other mechanism included, are as much as possible compacted Withinthe compass of" a circular case.V The form ofthe essential battery for maintenanceV .of the time movement and what other mechanism is associated therewith Which best, accommodates to the'least enlargement ofthe case enclosing t-he` Whole rclock is that y of. an annulus, fitting closely Within the circular case (Wit-h or without legs and' pick-up) usual with portable'clocl movementsin a y space reserved around or behind the?c movement of theI clock.

In almost all of such clocks, access to the movement is rombehind: With an annular battery in position this accessV from behind ris eiiected, Without removal of" the being readily removable, to

battery, through the annulus; the otherwise exposedI movement protected by a plain coi'er filling the opening, or, in the case'ot an alerm orstriking'clock, the gong, loca-ted centrally Within the annulus of the'battery, behind the movement; said cover or gong just'ments` of the clock. f

It is thevobject of this invention to protioned.

As with dry batteries in general, the `positive elementi, or zinc, is the containeror'the batteryv mixtureI or electrolyte, but this container is annular instead of the cylindrical or the rectangular shape in common use.

lt ispro'posed in' these improvements that the negative element or carbon' shall" also haveV the orm` of anv annulus, so thatV the form and for the Vpurposes herein menexp'ose the adgeneral cross-section of the improvedibatgtery shall be the=samelasithegeneral crosssection oithefcommon Leclanchftyipezof'gdry l v 6o celll-When ofrectangular forint.-

Thev improvements this. invention comprises` are 'not' limited `to a completeannulus;

orto anl annulus,` completey or incomplete.,

comprising;r only.' one cell- It is proposeditocomprise, when nequired,A more thanV one cell in this improved` battery, n each of lsuohi cells deter-mining a segments onlyA onthe` complete orl incompletay annulus,.

so that the Whole batteryf may oompnisea as may be: required,; either separate cells; for.: separatel purposes or separate cells connecteili in series for. Whateven purpose may; be re.-V quired, such 'for examplel that'oi maintain'-` ing jthe time movement lofthe` clock; Wit/h1 one cell only..V and anrassoci'ated electric ,alanm' with this same cell. with. another1 cell in series inthecirfcuit'.

y Refenringto theaecompanyingfuivo sheets of drawings illustrating theseimprovements in 'electric batteries. for clocks:

,In Figure l. is; shown; a battery ofi the; formi off; any annulus. in; position; Withinv acircular case for. the:- movement.; Otan electric clock, a sectorbeing removeid togfafford greater clearness of illustration.

lin the references=to1 the diavvings,` andi in; the-,description following, the innenl plane soA face of the annulus is; the` front of. the

annulus. y

In Figure 5. the battery is one-'cell only, the 'annulusa is incomplete, as may be required.V l

InFigures 6,Y 7, and 8iv the vannulius is complete but@Y comprises segments, each a separate. cell, each. With its: own positiveterminaliV Figure 6i illustrates. provision for mainf taining separate mechanisms-fin the`v electric clock, as tor instance the` time movement and a bell, independently/,ias mayf'be pre ferred.

In Figure. I an: arrangement: illustrated the purpose-@Which is: te maintain ioii separate mechanismsV where an inequality of battery force is desirable. Y

In Figure 8 the arrangement illustrated is purposed simply for multiplication of the battery force of a single cell.

In Figure 9 is exhibited an alternative provision for a positive terminal practicable where the annular segments comprising the battery are short.

In all'these drawings and all through the description now following, the same numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts throughout.

"Ars illustrated in Fig. l this improved battery has externally the form of an annulus or ring of (preferably) rectangular crosssection, preferably nearly square.

It isl purposed that it should fit closely within a cylindrical clock case, in Fig. l represented by a right circular cylinder'20.

Such clock cases have ordinarily a flange 2l which retains a circular plate of glass protecting the face of the clock the move ment of which it is thepurpose of the circular'case to enclose.

Ordinarily the annular container is open for filling and sea-ling on what, would be the inward V.plane annular face with the annulus in iosition in the clock case.

- The annu ar plane face 22, illustrated as, and understood to be, ordinarily, the pitch face of the battery, with the positive terminal or terminals projected from its surface, is according to all this description the front of the Ybattery described.

`As in the oii'dinary Leclanche type dry cell, the negative pole is supplied by a container for the electrolyte of a suitable elementor compound, ordinarily Zinc and hereinafter as zinc referred to, comprised by, in this invention, circular outer and inner walls 23, 2lland an annular plane face 25, lthis last definable as the back of the battery.

The negative element, of a suitable element or compound, ordinarily graphite and hereinafter referred to as the carbon is in this invention annular, preferably 0f rec# tangular cross-section, pla-in or tinted, 2G.

i As shown in Fig. l, more clearly in the cross-sections exposedv by the removal of a complete sector of both the flanged cylinder I 20/and the annulus itself, the carbon ring isY dispose-d centrally in the Zinc container.

Consideringfilling these annular cells, as for comparison with the common dry cell., the annular plane face or back 25 becomes `Y the bottom, and the frontV face 22 the top.

izing mixture, Vpacked in this electrolyte in the ordinary way, and the usual covering 22 of pitch or other composition sealing the cell.

Describing positive terminals devised in this invention to suit thefunusual conditions involved, and referring now to'Figs. 2 and 3, a metal stub- 28, preferably` capped as shown, which may loe fiuted for a better fixing in the carbon, is held tightly'therein so as to project on the outer surface of the pitch 22.

In filling in the electrolyte, after proceed-v ing as far as placing the carbon 26 in position, a space 29 is left clear around the stub 28 for the covering composition 22 to iill into afterwards, thereby avoiding for the stud 2S contact with and erosion by the,

electrolyte mixture of the battery. n

For the purpose for which this improved battery is intended, that is to say for closely compacted electric time-keepers with orV without electric alarms associated,vthe vannulus may be required complete (Figs. if, 6, 7, 8) or incomplete (Figs. 5,9) and in either event may be all one cell (Figs. 4, 5), in

two cells (Figs. 6, 7,8, 9), or more than two, in which last event preferably cells of the ln each of these cases there is of .course the one positive terminal 28 exposed on the pitch front. y i,

In Fig. 6 the annulus comprises two distinct segments, cach a separatev cell; the segment 32 with the terminal 33, theses'- ment 3i with its terminal 35, these 'termina-ls 33, l5 being identical in detail with the terminal 2S described.

The annular Vcells illustrated in Figs. Lfland 5 are purposed to n'iaintain, in anelectric clock, as woll asthe time movement, what-y ever mechanism in that clock associated therewith, as for example an alarm: The annular battery in Fig. 6 is purposed to maintain these different mechanisms independently, as .for example one cell main# taining th-c time movement, the other an alarm. p

For the purpose of completing the electric circuit in a way to utilize the battery for the purposefor which it is intended, it is being assumed that metal contact with the carbonV terminal or terminals is effectedl on the positive side of the circuit with the mechanism or mechanisms in the movement and, up

to this point, that the zinc container or con-V tainers and the general metal-work of the movement are in metal to metal communication, as for instance per medium of the enclosing clock case if of metal.

In the annulus as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, however, it is obvious that, in the case of one or the other of the two cells comprising the battery, as these cells are connected in series, there must not be metal to metal contact between the zinc containers and a metal clock case, or between these Zinc containers.

Referring to Fig. 7 the annulus is seen to be divided unequally, into two segments forming separate cells, the segment 36 with the positive terminal 37 and the segment 38 i' of the two'segments, and covering the outer.

wallof the cell 38 for the purpose of inhibiting metal to metal contact with the circular case.

The ur )ose in this arrangement is to' maintain an electric time movement with one cell only,that is the larger segment 36, in a circuit betweenthe positive terminal V37 and' the zinc container of this cell, and some mechanism associated therewith, as for instance an electric bell, with both cells, in aY circuit between the positive terminal 89v of the smalier segment 88 and the Zinc container of the larger segment 36.

, Referring to Fig. 8 the annulus is divided into two equal segments or separate cells, the

segment 42 with its positive terminal 43, the l segment 44 with its positive terminal 45, and

an electrical connection 4G is shown, between the zinc container ofthe segment 42 and the positive terminal 45 of the segment 44. In detail the terminals 43, 45 are identical with the terminal' 28 described.

In this arrangement insulation is understood in the spaces 4l between the zinc ends of the two segments, also covering the outer wall of oneof the cells, in this case specifically the Vsegment '42 to inhibit metal to metal contact withthe cylindrical case.`

In this arrangement the purpose is to our hands.

maintain with both .cells in seiies both an electric time movement andan associated alarm or striking mechanism, in a circuit between the carbon terminal 43 of the segment 42 and the zinc container of the segment 44.

Finally, referring to Fig.Y 9, illustrating shortersegments, as of a much less complete annulus than shown in Fig. 2 and moreover divided into two parts, or two widely separated segments (as shown), or of an annulus comprising three or more segments, an alternative construction is shown wherein, in each segment, both of the plane annular faces as well as theA outer and inner wallsV lof the container, are Vof zinc, but only one, 47, of the plane ends of the segments.

' lViththese cells, filling is accomplished through the open ends 48, as in the case of the ordinary cylindrical dry cell, sealing afterwards at theseends with the pitch or k2. A dry battery cell comprising a casing having the external form of a segment of anv annulus and forming the positive element thereof, a negative element embedded. in the electrolyte contained in said vcasing Y Vand a terminal connected-.to said negative elementand projecting through'a wall of said casing and insulated therefrom. Y

3.. A dry battery consisting of a plurality of cells, each consisting Yof a casing 'in the form of a segment of an'annulus and forming the positive element thereof and each containing electrolyte, a negative element emcasings andrliaving' a terminal projecting through a wall of'its casing and electrically insulated therefrom, 'said cells being arranged end `to end with their abutting ends insulated annulus. v

In testimony whereofwe have hereunto setr BAsiL Nnwfrii.

l ooTAviA NEWTH.

from one another and forming an `beddedrin the ,electrolyte in each ofv saidAY 

